1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved clip device which, in addition to a clipping function, also serves to separate and organize the clipped material.
2. Prior Art
The common paper clip is an article of great utility at home and in the office. Because of this utility, a variety of designs have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,783,484 discloses a paper clip which consists of two loops at each end of the clip with one loop being nested inside of the other. This design differs from the standard paper clip which has two loops at one end and only one loop at the other end of the clip. According to U.S. Pat. No. 1,783,484, the dual double loop design provides for insertion of material to be clipped at either end of the clip. More recently, U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,356 has disclosed a double-grip clip which has two gripping units adjacent one another to improve the gripping ability of the clip.
Other prior art clips are as follows: U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,247,087; 1,449,684, 2,502,289; 3,348,271; 3,564,674; 4,382,617; and 4,458,386.
While the prior art paper clips serve useful purposes, the clips evidence certain limitations. For example, for the most part, the clips serve to retain the clipped materials together in one group. Because the user often finds himself/herself with two or more sets of materials to be kept separate, the prior art clips are found lacking. Additionally, in the nested arrangements found in the prior art clips, i.e., the loops being positioned within each other, once the loops are separated outside the elasticity range, the loops remain in the deformed position, unless the user attempts to restore the clips to their original, undeformed position. In either case, the clip typically does not demonstrate its original and advantageous gripping ability once excessively deformed.